Duke Orlando Geary, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, West Virginia 2020

State: West Virginia
Agency: DOJ USAO
Category: Weapons
Source: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/wayne-county-man-pleads-guilty-federal-gun-crime" style="color:#cc0000;" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Official Source ↗

Duke Orlando Geary, 39, of Kenova, West Virginia, pleaded guilty today to a federal gun charge tied directly to a sprawling marijuana operation unearthed in Wayne County. The admission seals his fate in a case built on guns, green, and greed.

On January 30, 2020, law enforcement stormed Geary’s Kenova residence as part of a targeted raid. Inside, they found 88 growing marijuana plants, 25 pounds of processed weed, a loaded Taurus .22-caliber revolver, and extra ammunition. Geary didn’t fight the facts — he admitted he was growing and selling the drug and confirmed he kept the firearm to guard both the stash and the cash.

The charge — possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime — carries a brutal mandatory minimum. Geary now faces no less than five years in federal prison and up to life behind bars. On top of that, prosecutors are pushing for a $250,000 fine and five years of supervised release post-incarceration.

The case was brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. U.S. Attorney Will Thompson, who announced the plea, credited the relentless work of the Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West for cracking open the operation. Their investigation turned a residential grow site into a federal conviction.

Geary’s fate will be finalized at sentencing on May 1, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Robert C. Chamber. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor is leading the prosecution, building a case that shows no tolerance for armed drug operations in Appalachia’s shadow counties.

Court records, including the full plea agreement and evidence inventory, are accessible via PACER under Case No. 3:22-cr-233. A copy of the original DOJ press release is archived on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website for the Southern District of West Virginia.

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